Mark Leno

4 a.m. Last Call For Alcohol Nixed By California Lawmakers

The prospect of a 4 a.m. last call for alcohol in California had some of you jumping off your well-worn couches and professing never to be sedentary about politics again. Woo-hoo, you said. Sorry to spill our mojito on your new American Apparel t-shirt, but the 4 a.m. bill by state Sen. Mark Leno, ... More >>

20,000 Illegal Gun Owners In California Are Known To Authorities ... But Roam Free

About 20,000 Californians illegally possess as many as 40,000 handguns and assault weapons. And authorities know who most of them are. Wait, what? Read it again: About 20,000 Californians illegally possess as many as 40,000 handguns and assault weapons. And authorities know who most of them are. A ... More >>

Cops Look At Your Email Without Permission Or A Warrant!? Calif. Law Would Stop That

Did you know that cops can snoop into your email without a warrant, without your permission, without you even knowing? In cases where the message has been opened or stored on a server for at least 180 days, it's true. It's a contentious issue, and the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Legal Po ... More >>

Landlords Who Unjustly Keep Rent Deposits Would Be Penalized Under California Proposal

Ever had a landlord just keep your deposit without any real good reason? Yeah, everybody has. And there's not much you can do about it. Today California Sen. Mark Leno announced that he's introducing legislation that would hit landlords with potentially higher penalties when a court finds they i ... More >>

To Join the Loyal Order of the Drooling Bastard, You Must Drink 78 Cocktails at Tonga Hut

See also: *4 a.m. Last Call for Alcohol Proposed For Calif. Clubs by Sen. Mark Leno *Top 10 Bars With the Hottest Women in L.A. *10 Bars Most Likely to Get You Laid in L.A. The rules state you have a calendar year to complete the task. Amos Clarke is nine months in, "but I've only been making serio ... More >>

4 a.m. Last Call For Alcohol Proposed For Calif. Clubs By Sen. Mark Leno

Young tourists seeking a taste of Los Angeles nightlife are almost always in for a bitter pill. Expecting Hollywood glamour and all-night partying on a world-class level, revelers from out of town are more likely to get kicked to the curb at 2 a.m. because of California's strict alcohol laws. It's ... More >>

Cocaine In Your Pocket? Could Be A Simple Misdemeanor Under Mark Leno's Proposal

State Sen. Mark Leno wants to do for cocaine, ecstasy and meth what he did for marijuana. That is, make possession of small amounts basically a ticket-worthy offense -- a misdemeanor. Some of you are no doubt cheering. Leno this week announced that he introduced a bill, SB 649, that would allow pr ... More >>

10 Stupidest California Bills That Legislators Are Trying to Slam Through at Final Hour

The last possible moment for California's bumbling state senators and assemblymen to nudge their pet bills onto Governor Jerry Brown's desk is this Friday, August 31 at midnight. Needless to say, the state Capitol is in a state of fluttering papers/utter mayhem right now. It's hard enough to know ... More >>

Marijuana: Republican Dana Rohrabacher Wags Finger at Democrat Obama

Much has been made lately of the Republican party's move to the right and its stubborn refusal to work with Democrats even on issues that some of them it once championed (such as Mitt Romney's Massachusetts health care plan). Well, welcome to opposite land, California, where a conservative Orange ... More >>

Lil' Marijuana, Coke, Heroin in Your Pocket? Californians Support Making it a Misdemeanor

If you get caught with a little dope in your pocket you could see up to three years behind bars. While that kind of time is rare these days, you'd still be strip searched and treated like the worst kind of criminal by the cops. The thing is, we the people, who are supposed to run this world we live ... More >>

Heroin or Cocaine in Your Pocket Could Be Misdemeanor Under California Sen. Mark Leno's Proposed Law

So you like heroin and you like to take it with you on trips to the museum, chamber orchestra performances and panel discussions on neurology. But you don't like being pulled over, getting your arms checked for track marks, and having your car searched only to be jailed for possession? Well has San ... More >>

Marijuana Laws Would Ban Employers From Firing Medical Users, Loosen Penalties For Growing: Sacramento Lobbyists Block 'Em

You know what Sacramento's about.​You, the people, are in favor of laws that make it easier for medical pot users to keep their jobs and that make growing weed a possible misdemeanor. But the reality of politics in Sacramento often has little to do with your will. Business lobbyists and polic ... More >>

R.I.P. Aristide Laurent: Pioneering L.A. Gay Activist Co-Founded The Advocate, Fought LAPD Harassment

billyhic.blogspot.comArtiside Laurent at the Advocate's 40th anniversary bash in -- where else -- West Hollywood.​Artiside "A.J." Laurent, 70-year-old writer and activist, died at his L.A. home on October 26 "after a long illness," the San Diego Gay & Lesbian News reports today. Choosing to s ... More >>

Governor Brown Lifts Ban on Infused Alcohol

Caroline on CrackMartini made with Earl Grey-infused gin​ Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 32 into law yesterday, granting California bartenders the right to infuse spirits and wine products with foods, herbs, and spices, and to serve the infusions to customers in-house. The State Assembly deliv ... More >>

New School Cocktail Makers Bend the Law: Bartenders' Launch Movement to Legalize it

Infuse the booze.​The rise of the gourmet bartender has drink-makers in California pushing the limits of the law. Not that they're trying to infuse your drinks with marijuana (which would be kind of cool). Rather, they want to push other herbs on your cocktails, but the law says no. A nearly ... More >>

Gay History Now Required, by Law, to Be Taught in California Social-Studies Textbooks

Instinct MagazineYour children are doomed!​Another reason for SoCal Republicans to secede: The children of California will now be required to learn about homosexual contributions to history, a bill proposed by openly gay San Francisco Senator Mark Leno (figures!) and signed into law by Governo ... More >>

Marijuana is Huge Business in California, But California Big Business Says Protecting Medical Pot Users is a 'Job Killer'

Dirty cache?​In California, as you know, medical marijuana is big business -- $14 billion a year worth, and the Golden State's top cash crop, according to some. But big business in California? It's not so high on pot. In fact, the California Chamber of Commerce today took a big stand against ... More >>

Medical Marijuana Users Might be Protected From Getting Fired Under California Bill That's Gaining Traction

Working and playing?​Good news, stoners: A movement that would hogtie California employers who want to fire you for partaking of your medicine (while off-duty, of course) is a little closer to becoming law this week. The State Senate Judiciary Committee just said yes to Sen. Mark Leno's bill ... More >>

Marijuana in the Workplace? California Lawmaker Mark Leno Wants to Prevent Medical Pot Users From Being Fired

Work and weed, together in California?​Thank God for the Golden State: It's perfectly legal to smoke the green stuff, even on a daily basis, if you have a doctor's recommendation. But your boss might not agree that bud is the best influence for her workforce. As it stands, she can fire you fo ... More >>

Mission Drift at Gay Inc.

Is the most powerful gay lobbying group in California becoming irrelevant?

Charles Manson Cell Phone Prison Call On Tape; Big Killers, Mexican Mafia And 8,675 Criminals Use Smuggled Cells In California Prisons

Charles Manson on the line.​Charles Manson had a smuggled cell phone in prison. CBS has truly creepy audio of Manson singing in a sicko call to the outside world. The Weekly explained the ugly game by legislators Mark Leno and Tom Ammiano, who head public safety committees in Sacramento -- and ... More >>

Cell Phones Flooding to Mexican Mafia Prisoners

Schwarzenegger vs. Legislature pissing match means no crackdown

Marijuana Law Backer Joins Legal Challenge Of Pot-Shop Bans

​State Sen. Mark Leno, co-author of the state's medical marijuana clarification act (SB 420), has joined a court challenge that will help decide whether cities can ban medical marijuana dispensaries in a state that approves them. The San Francisco Democrat filed a legal brief in Qualified Pat ... More >>

Rubbers Revolutionary: AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s Michael Weinstein

Activist wants to save porn actors from STDs. It's been lonely

Queer Town: Harvey Milk Gets His Day in California

Late last night, a few hours after gays and lesbians from across the country marched in Washington D.C., California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law "Harvey Milk Day," Frontiers News Editor Karen Ocamb reports.Daniel NicolettaSan Francisco Supervisor and gay icon Harvey Milk (center)â ... More >>

California GOP: The Queer Enablers of Gay Marriage

How Republicans accomplished what the Dems could not

Sacramento's Poison Pill

A sneaky move by Fabian Núñez aims to stop statewide charter schools

Weiss Recall Quickly Turns Ugly

Westsiders furious at overdevelopment

New Count for Three-Strikes Law

D.A. Steve Cooley wants voters to revamp the inhumane measure

Arnold’s Kiss-Off

Only a desperate governor would veto the gay-marriage bill

Council Bliss

L.A. unites on gay marriage

Grasping for the Ring of Power

On eve of big powwow, neighborhood councils ponder place in the new regime

Big Spat Ahead

All this gay-marriage talk leads straight to the ballot box

Gay Marriage Squabble

Why California’s Supreme Court ruling was a lost battle, not a lost war

So Goes the Gay Nation

Same-sex-marriage activists set their sights on California

The Record of Gray Davis

In Search of Gay Leaders

And, once we find them, what should they do for Los Angeles?